I hope this message finds you well.
I am using concerta for 3 days. And it almost did nothing. Don't feel any difference. İs it normal ? Using 18mg a day. I would be happy to hear others experiences with it (concerta). Also love to hear from the ones that tried more than one medications about which one has a better effect.
I just posted a similar question. I am in the same boat as you. 18mg for 1 week and nothing, 2nd week 27mg and only experiencing a headache and tiredness by noon everyday. Looking forward to hearing any suggestions as well!
From what ive read you should reap the effects of concerta within 1 hour of taking your first capsule. Concerta and stratera and other non stim meds only work for like less than 20% of adhd cases. If you wanna try a non stim talk to your doctor about wellbutrin.
Hi, please dont take it in any bad way, but I really have to correct you 
Firstly, Concerta is NOT non-stim. Its methylphenidate, exactly the same as Ritalin. It is a stimulant, that is why it works so quickly. (Strattera is non-stim, and it works fully after significant time (4-8 weeks)Also, the 20% is quite pessimistic, even for Strattera. I think is is more around 40-50%, but to be fair, I personally did not have much luck with Strattera either.
Concerta however has very good response rate, 70% at least.
And to answer OP (ata95), dont give up on Concerta. 18mg/day is a very low dose. The standard for methylphenidate is up to 60mg/day, but some people need more - the actual maximum recommended is up to 100 mg (for me, its between 65-80 for work days, in combination of primarily Concerta and tiny doses (5mg extra) of Ritalin as needed)
Good luck and stay positive. It takes time to work out all the issues when starting medication.
I tried Concerta for 5 days and found it less effective for me than the short-acting methylphenidate (Ritalin), so I went back to that. With stimulants, you should at least notice some positive benefits the same day you take them. If you’re getting no effect (or only negative effects), generally you would either try increasing the dose or moving to a different medication. Usually, if methylphenidate doesn’t work, you’d try an amphetamine product (Adderall, Vyvanse, etc.). Adderall IR (immediate release) was the first medication I tried after being diagnosed. It was effective, but there were too many side effects for me (the most significant being an increase in my blood pressure). I have tried Clonidine when I was having trouble sleeping, but I only took it at night, so I can’t comment on how it works during the day. I haven’t tried the other nonstimulants (Strattera, Wellbutrin, guanfacine). But everyone responds differently to these medications. Talk to your doctor and let them know what you’re experiencing; they should work with you to find the optimal medication and dose for you. Good luck!
I was taking Concerta, started at the low dose and built up to higher dosage. It worked well but because of the cost, am now on Apo-Methylphenidate which is cheaper with the same mg per pill I was at with Concerta. Perhaps your Doctor may increase your dosage as you discuss the issue. I find my new med does not work quite as well but at least it still helps.
I would like to correct you in saying that everyone reacts differently with Concerta I was always sleepy with 18mg so now doctor increased to 36 based on how I reacted if I had more side effects than benefits then my doctor would decrease my dosage, know that higher dosage has higher side effects. btw you would know if the medication is right for you when you do the things that where difficult for you, for me it was getting out of bed and avoiding tasks
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